Visual search with non-foveal vision.

Experiments have been carried out to determine free visual search capabilities when an observer uses only peripheral vision. Foveal vision was eliminated by simulating a full foveal scotoma by means of a stabilized retinal image. Observers were asked to search an unstructured field for a single static target. Results from these experiments established that foveal vision plays a more significant role than is generally assumed in even the most basic of search tasks where the primary mechanism for target acquisition is assumed to be detection only. Results are discussed in terms of the visual lobes for the targets of search.